Reunion
by CinLee1
Summary: An alternate universe story where Shawn has a younger sister who hasn't been seen by the family since she was six. Danger brings her home.    Disclaimer: I don't own Psych or any of the characters. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

_1987_

Alice Parker's first grade class seemed to be having a typical field trip to the Santa Barbara Zoo. The children were enchanted for the most part by the exotic animals, some more so than others. It was later in the day, nearly time for the children to board the buses to return to the school that tragedy struck. Alice Parker could not locate one of her quieter students, Caitlin Spencer.

It was not unusual for the studious girl not to attract attention from the adults, as she needed little direction. A direct contrast to her brother who was four years older, Shawn. Oh, Alice Parker remembered him well. As it turned out, she should have kept a closer eye on the girl than she ever had with Shawn. If she had, she would have seen the woman approach Caitlin half an hour prior.

Even though she had known better than to speak to strangers, the woman eerily resembled Caitlin's mother, Madeline. So the child had believed the woman to be her Aunt, her eyes welling with tears when she was informed that her family had just perished in a car accident and that she was to live with her Aunt. She was whisked away to New York City, leaving Santa Barbara far behind.

Present Day New York City

Caitlin Johnson dropped the last of her luggage by her front door as she awaited her fiancé, Tom Potter, of the NYPD. She had met him the year prior while working forensics on one of his murder cases. For their anniversary, Tom had surprised her with a trip to the Bahamas. Excitement pumped through her blood even as she tried to ignore a trickle of unexplained tension that was creeping through her.

He was to pick her up at noon and it was five minutes after. It wasn't unheard of for one to be late due to traffic in New York, but she didn't want to miss their plane either. Caitlin went to her living room and peeked out the blinds into the darkness. Her blood ran cold when she spotted Tom kneeling under the streetlight just as a man raised his gun and shot him, execution style. She could only make out movement but she saw the figure turn toward the window and she knew he had spotted her. Heart pounding, Caitlin grabbed her wallet and fled her apartment, racing out the back door. As the back exit swung closed behind her, she heard the front door slamming shut. She had to get out of New York and fast, but she had no idea where to go. Maybe Santa Barbara. Surely she could find one of her father's old partners and they could help her.

She hailed a cab to take her further down town, where she withdrew as much money as she could from the ATM, knowing this was the last time she could use her card. Caitlin headed for the bus station and purchased several tickets, hoping to leave a confusing trail. At the first stop the bus made, while she waited to board one going in a different direction, she picked up a disposable cell phone with web access, and then once on board, she pulled up the Santa Barbara newspaper.

On the front page was an article about a psychic detective. She scoffed at first then when she saw the picture, her jaw dropped. Her brother Shawn was alive and well. Had her family simply decided they didn't want her? There was only one way to find out, Caitlin realized. And if that hadn't been the case, she would be safe with Shawn. A small sense of relief enveloped her. She took a closer look at the photo. Was that Gus? She managed a small smile.

Present Day, Santa Barbara

Something was about to happen. Shawn could feel it in his bones. While admittedly he wasn't a true psychic, his hunches and feelings were usually spot on. But he had never felt like this before. He balled up a piece of paper and threw it at Gus.

"What the…" his friend exclaimed when the paper ball bounced off of his head. "Shawn!"

"Sorry. I'm feeling at loose ends. Did you ever just feel like something big was about to happen, but you didn't know what?"

"Every day of my life, Shawn. How about food? If something big is going to happen, I don't want to experience it on an empty stomach."

"Let's get some jerk chicken," Shawn replied, scrambling to his feet.


	2. Chapter 2

Before leaving the bus terminal, Caitlin slipped into the ladies room and made herself as presentable as possible. In the morning she would really have to go purchase some clothing and toiletries. She eyed her long reddish brown wavy hair. Yes, that was going to have to go, too unusual of a color.

Every sense on alert, she left the terminal and started looking for signs that would lead to the police station, since she would need directions. While she walked, Caitlin also searched out anything that she might remember. But having been only six, she hadn't been allowed outside after dark very much. She turned a corner and stopped. She goggled the newspaper again on her phone to get the name of Shawn's detective agency. Then she glanced at the building in front of her. Well, what luck. And the lights were on, so someone was working. As she headed for the door, Caitlin was surprised that her brother hadn't gone in to the force like their father.

After taking a deep breath, Caitlin tried the doorknob. Locked. She glanced at her watch. It was almost 2 A.M. No, wait. California time. Eleven P.M. She tried to peek through the slats to see if it was Shawn or Gus. Would they even recognize her? She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her slacks. She had never been so nervous. And then she knocked.

Shawn looked up from his Gameboy and lowered his feet to the floor from his desk. He glanced at the clock. This couldn't be good. Unless…he grinned. Maybe Jules had stopped by after getting off from work. He stood, grabbed his pineapple smoothie and headed for the door, hoping he didn't appear too anxious. "Jules…" he greeted before really looking. Looking into eyes exactly like his. Shock registered in his eyes as his cup hit the floor. He was silent for a moment as he wondered if this were some sort of sick joke. But the eyes…eyes didn't lie. His mouth moved but no sound came out.

"Shawn?" Caitlin said in a small voice. "Oh my God!" she said, staring at her brother for the first time in twenty-three years.

"Cait," he whispered, pulling her into his arms. "Where have you been all of this time?" He shut the door behind her and guided her to the sofa. "We…we thought you were dead, that the kidnapper killed you."

She shook her head, "No, she raised me as her own." Sitting down, she reached for his hand. "She..she tricked me, apparently. I was approached at the zoo and told that you, Mom and Dad had been killed in a car accident." Shawn opened his mouth and she held up a hand. "I know I wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. But she looked so much like Mom that I believe she was an Aunt. I was only six." Caitlin took another deep breath. "I know I've only just returned but I need your help. I'm in danger."

"Anything. Oooh. I have to call Dad and tell him to come to the office. Gus too. You remember Gus?" Shawn asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I do. I can't wait to see him. When I started running, I was heading here to see if one of Dad's old partners could help me. When I saw your picture in the paper online I was stunned." Her heart skipped a beat. Her father was still alive too. "How about Mom? I mean, she's not…"

"No, she's not. But she's living in San Francisco now, so it'll take her time to get here. Are you hungry? Thirsty? There's stuff in the fridge, help yourself." Even as he spoke, Shawn was dialing his phone. "Dad! Yes, I know what time it is, this is important. No, it has nothing to do with a case or anything. Just come down to the office. Please. Yes, now. It's a surprise. I have to call Gus and Mom." His calls complete, he sat down on the sofa next to his sister who was drinking a beer. Caitlin cuddled in to the crook of his arm, looking like a scared little girl. "Don't you worry, you're safe here with me. Us. We'll all take care of you."

"I know." Caitlin relaxed against him, her head resting on his shoulder as he turned on the television. She longed to tell him what was going on, but felt it best to wait until her father was here. Gus too, since it seemed he worked with Shawn.

The door burst open and she jolted. "Shawn, what the hell is going on? This better be good," Henry yelled as he stomped in. He jerked to a stop seeing a girl with his son. "What? You needed approval for your date?"

Caitlin stood and turned to face her father. "Daddy!"

"Doodlebug?" Henry stammered out his affectionate nickname he hadn't used in so long. He ran over to her and gathered her into his arms. "You've finally come home.

"All right Shawn. What couldn't wait for the morning?" Gus demanded as he walked in. He looked from Shawn to Henry and back again.

Shawn moved to stand next to his best friend. "Caity's home." He smiled at Gus' expression. Gus glanced over in amazement then hugged his friend. "That's wonderful."

"But…" Shawn said slowly, "She's in danger."

"What happened?"

"Don't know yet. She was waiting for you and Dad to get here to talk about it. But she's scared. She was trembling."

"Gus?"

"Caitlin!" Gus greeted her, wrapping her in a hug. When everyone had welcomed her home, they gathered in the sofa and chairs.

"Doodlebug, what happened?" Henry asked in a barely controlled voice. He was ready to kill whomever had kidnapped his little girl all of these years ago.

"A woman claiming to be Aunt Mary approached me at the zoo. I know you and Mom always told me not to speak to strangers, but she looked so much like Mom that I believed her. She pulled me to the side and told me you all had been killed in a car accident and that I was to live with her. She took me to New York City where she raised me. Aside from me grieving my family that it turns out I never lost, I did have a good life. She raised me like a daughter."

"That bitch," Henry roared, causing everyone to look at him. "I'll kill her. She was indeed your aunt, but she was unbalanced."

"Dad, there's nothing you can do. Aunt Mary passed away three years ago from breast cancer. Had I had any idea you were still alive, I would have come home before this."

Henry calmed slightly. At least she hadn't been hurt or abused, and that really was all that mattered. "But I am in danger," he heard her saying, causing him to whip his head around.

"I joined the NYPD. It is in my blood, I wanted to be like my father. I discovered I enjoyed forensics and finding things that other techs missed. Last year, I met a detective, Tom Potter, and we fell in love. Two days ago, we were going to go to the Bahamas for our one year anniversary." A tear shimmered in the corner of his eye. "When he was a few minutes late, I glanced out the window. I was a little anxious. Anyway, I witnessed someone killing him, execution style." There was a collective intake of breath in the group. "I can't identify the killer but he thinks I can. I hopped the bus to come here, hoping to find one of your old partners for help, Dad. But when I was on the bus, I went online on my phone and found an article about Shawn and discovered I hadn't lost my family after all." Her sweeping glance included Gus who had been a second older brother to her.

"Holy crap," Shawn said. "The first thing we'll need to do is make certain you're safe." He ignored his father, who was studying Caitlin with pride. "I'll have Jules come over in the morning so you can tell her what sort of clothing and stuff you'll need. You can stay with me."

"Nonsense, Shawn. She'll stay with me," Henry stated.

"Dad, no offense, but if these people manage to link Cait to Santa Barbara, they'll know you'd be the first place she'd go. They'd never think of the screw-up older brother as her haven."

Caitlin arched an eyebrow. "You're not a screw-up Shawn." She glanced between her newfound family. How was she ever going to choose?

"You need police protection," Henry insisted.

"Dad, you're retired," Shawn countered. "Look, I'm closer to the station, they can respond quicker if something happens."

Henry closed his mouth. This was his son making sense. "All right, Shawn. But if you need anything, either of you…call. And Shawn, bring Lassiter and O'Hara in on this. This is bigger than all of you. Be careful, Doodlebug," he added, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Take care of her Shawn. I don't want to lose her again."

"I don't either, Dad.'

New York City

In the warehouse district, Johnny Roles gathered his men around him. "I want to know who the woman was that saw Ray off that cop. And then I want her dead. It's too easy for the cops to link Ray to me."

Frankie, their computer hacker walked over with a file, a photo clipped to the cover. "Caitlin Johnson, 29. Engaged to Potter for three months, she's been dating him a year. She works in forensics the 13th."

"Great. Another cop."

"It took a while to trace her background, apparently Johnson isn't really her last name. Looks like her Aunt raised her after leaving Santa Barbara. Her real last name is Spencer."

"Anything on the rest of her family?"

"Still running it down. Spencer's not an uncommon name."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still don't own Psych or any of their characters. Darn it all.

After everyone else had left, Shawn turned to Caitlin. "I should have had Gus take us home. I have a motorcycle. You okay riding them?"

"I am," she assured him. After closing up the office, she followed Shawn to his bike and climbed on. Caitlin's arms slipped around his waist. "So, do you have someone special in your life?"

"Me? No. Not yet, anyway," he replied as he fired up the bike. She might not have seen her brother in 27 years, but Caitlin could tell he at least had someone he was interested in. The woman must be blind if she couldn't see that Shawn was perfect.

Once he parked, Shawn led her up the stairs to his one bedroom apartment. "I'll take the couch, you can have the bed," he told her as he unlocked the door. He gave her a quick tour (not that it took long at all anyway), and then went in his bedroom for his pajamas and T-shirt for her. Once Caitlin was settled in bed, Shawn watched her protectively for a few seconds before closing the door and padding to the kitchen for a bottle of water.

He had been sitting on the sofa for only a few minutes when he heard soft sniffling sounds coming from the bedroom. The thought occurred to him that of course Caitlin hadn't had the chance to grieve. Shawn returned to the bedroom and eased the door open. "Cait?" he whispered as he walked in and sat on the edge of the bed.

Without a word, Caitlin turned and pressed her face against his chest. "I feel like my heart has been cut out of me," she whispered. "Tom didn't deserve this. He was a good cop, you know."

"I know. You wouldn't have loved him if he wasn't a good man." Shawn rubbed his hand on her back, trying to calm her as he reassured her.

"He would have liked you, Shawn. Tom lived life to the fullest, and despite the things he witnessed every day on the job, he loved to laugh. Even though he wouldn't bend the law, he didn't always follow protocol. He did what he had to do, cleanly, to get the job done." Caitlin sighed, silent tears streaking down her cheeks. "New York doesn't feel like home any longer."

"You have a home. Right here with us."

She managed a small smile then glanced at him. "So how did you end up as a psychic detective? And really, Shawn? Psychic?"

Shawn leaned against the headboard. "Dad drove me crazy with all of his lessons on being observant and all. But I did learn, and I learned to notice things that no one else does. He wanted me to be a cop too, but after he and Mom's marriage disintegrated, I started acting out because I blamed him. Then he had me arrested for stealing the car for a date and with that on my record, I couldn't become a cop after all.

"I left home at 17 and held all sorts of jobs but nothing really held my interest. And I would get bored and do something stupid that would get me fired. But each job gave me more knowledge, and I'll not regret any of them. I came home and started solving cases from the news but then the cops figured I was in on the crimes." He shrugged. "I didn't want them to feel like I was saying they weren't very observant, so I told them I could sense things. And it took off from there. And this is something I actually enjoy doing and can't get bored with."

"Are you and Dad getting along better now?"

"We're making progress. I think we're too much alike though. I'll deny it if you ever tell him that. He still takes great pride in pointing out my shortcomings though."

"He's still trying to mold you into the man he wants you to be. But you know what? If he wasn't proud of you and didn't think much of your abilities, he would never have capitulated into letting me stay here."

"Capitulated? Really?" Then he caught his sister's tiny smirk and he laughed too. "Gus is a pharmaceutical rep now, but he's also my partner at Psych. He keeps me focused. He claims it's part time but to be honest, I think his rep job is part time. I keep him way too busy."

Caitlin could easily see Gus in that sort of job. "And Mom and Dad?"

"Dad retired from the force, Mom is still working as a psychologist. How do you like working in forensics?"

"At first I really enjoyed. And honestly it is very interesting. But I've been getting bored lately. I mean I bag stuff and take it to the lab, and then anything I find goes to the detectives. I can't imagine not doing police work and making a difference though."

"Just take your time and think it through. Maybe you just need some time away from it. When was your last vacation?"

"Uhm, I'm on it," Caitlin admitted. "I've not taken a vacation since joining the force five years ago."

"Yeah, you're burned out." He noticed her starting to nod off. Shawn lay her down gently and brushed hair from her eyes. "I'll be right out in the living room if you need me."

"Shawn? Thank you," she whispered, squeezing his fingers. Caitlin knew it couldn't have been any easier for him tonight, seeing someone he had thought was dead. But he had accepted it and her, thank goodness. Any one else might have questioned, but the two of them had always looked so much alike. Her eyes drifted closed as she felt she had finally come home.

"Good morning, Shawn," she greeted the next morning when she left the bedroom.

"Morning," he grumbled, obviously not a morning person. Caitlin giggled. From the little she could remember, the only time Shawn had willingly gotten out of bed early in the morning was on Christmas morning.

Bundled up in his bathrobe, Caitlin bounced into the kitchen. "I'll fix breakfast. It's the least I can do."

Shawn began to protest but there was a knock on the door. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he opened the door a crack and peeked out. "Jules!" he exclaimed, his voice bright and chipper.

"Morning, Shawn. You said you needed a favor."

"Yes, come on in."

Juliet entered the apartment, immediately hearing sounds from the kitchen. "Oh Shawn, I didn't mean to intrude. If you have a date…" her voice trailed off when the young woman appeared in the doorway.

"Oh! Good morning. I'll put more eggs on if there is going to be three for breakfast."

A hurt expression entered Juliet's eyes but Shawn took her hand. "Jules, this is my sister Caitlin."

She glanced between the two, immediately noticing the resemblance. But still… "Shawn, you never mentioned having a sister."

"Cait was kidnapped 27 years ago, we thought she was dead. And she thought we were. Caitlin, this is Juliet O'Hara, she's a detective on the SBPD."

The undercurrents between her brother and the beautiful detective weren't lost on Caitlin. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Detective."

"Juliet, please. So…if you don't mind my asking, how did you two reconnect if you each thought the other was dead?"

"That's a fair question," Caitlin agreed. "Why don't you come out in the kitchen while I work on breakfast." The two women disappeared into the kitchen where Caitlin related the entire story. Shawn took advantage of the time to throw on some clothing.

New York City

"I've got it!" Frankie exclaimed as he hurried into the office. "Caitlin Spencer is the daughter of Henry and Madeline Spencer, now divorced. She has a brother Shawn Spencer. And all work in some way with the Santa Barbara Police Department.

"Time to thin the ranks in Santa Barbara," Johnny ordered. Get all of the information and photos to Ray.

Notes: Planning for future chapters: If anyone has requests for something they'd like to see happen in the story, let me know. I won't guarantee anything but if I can work it in, I will. This includes any Shawn whump.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I still don't own Psych or the characters. Heck, I don't even own a pineapple.

After a breakfast filled with laughter, Caitlin retreated to her brother's bedroom to find something to wear. It would be nice to have something of her own.

"Listen, Shawn, I'm thinking it might be best if Caitlin stayed somewhere else."

"What? Why, Jules? I just found my little sister, I'm not…"

Juliet held up a hand. "Just listen. If these people are Mafia, they can trace her. The first place they will look is with her family members. She's pretty much a sitting duck."

Shawn took a deep breath. She was making sense, as much as he hated to admit it. "Do you have a plan?"

"I'm going to take her home with me, spread the word that my cousin is here staying with me. I'll change up her name some, make her Kate Miller. And I need to bring Carlton in on this. The more eyes watching her the better. He's good Shawn, really good." She blinked when she realized Shawn wasn't arguing.

"You're right. If the wrong person gets too close to Cait under Lassie's watch, they'll be sorry. I can still visit, right?"

"Oh of course. It's not like it's unusual for you to be at my place."

Caitlin came out, swimming in the T-shirt and sweat pants she had picked out. "Dare I ask who Lassie is? I doubt we're talking about the Collie."

"Carlton Lassiter. My partner and a darn good cop to boot," Juliet smiled. "So Cait, do you like cats?"

"Yesss…" She said hesitantly, glancing at Shawn.

"Here's the deal," he said, slipping his arm around Cait as he explained what Jules wanted to do.

Finally she nodded. "The last thing I want is to put you or Dad in danger, so I agree this is a good plan. We need information from New York as well. Do you or…erm…Lassie…have trustworthy connections?"

"I don't but Carlton might. If not, then Chief Vick." Caitlin paled at the thought of another person being brought in.

"Cait, Dad's probably already talking to the Chief anyway," Shawn assured her while Juliet spoke quietly on the phone with Carlton.

She snapped her phone closed. "Carlton will be here in about seven minutes. We'll leave to go shopping once he gets here. He's going to follow us.

"Oh God. The one thing he's not good at," Shawn groaned.

"Just because he's a little impatient in traffic…" She turned to Caitlin. "We need to change how you dress. So which way do we need to go?"

"Casual," Cait said. "I was always wearing suits. Hmmm…maybe skater or Goth?"

"A combination of both."

Shawn broke in. "I'll bring supper tonight. Do we want pizza or Mexican?"

"No, bring fried chicken," Jules replied, Caitlin nodding in agreement.

"Guess Gus will be tagging along," Shawn smirked.

Santa Barbara Police Department

Henry Spencer sat across from Karen Vicks as he related the story about Caitlin.

"And you're absolutely certain, without the benefit of DNA, that this girl is your missing daughter, Henry?"

"She is a feminine reflection of Shawn. A father knows."

"Is Shawn capable of protecting her?"

Henry leaned back in his chair. "If not personally, I know he'll find a way." Her desk phone rang and Henry waved his hand, indicating she should pick up. When she hung up the receiver, Karen looked relieved.

"Shawn has called on Juliet and Carlton to help, so I'm going to reassign their cases. It sounds like I need to call New York and find out about this investigation."

"We don't want…"

"Henry, we need to find out what we're dealing with. I have a niece who's a detective in Potter's precinct." She picked up her phone and started dialing.

Henry's hands clenched as he sat there feeling helpless. At least Shawn had been smart enough to bring in his friends to protect his sister. But what could Henry do? He had to be able to bring something to the table. He hadn't been able to find her when she went missing, he would be damned if he was going to sit idly by while she was in danger.

He glanced at the notes Karen was writing. Johnny Roles and Ray Perez. He knew those names but where from?

Vick hung up and folded her hands on her desk, looking at Henry. "Here's what we've gotten. Tom Potter was investigating small time mobster Johnny Roles. Bookmaking and protection mostly. He's not affiliated with any large organization and that's a good thing. Ray Perez is his enforcer. Potter's division is spreading the word that they spoke to Caitlin but it had been dark to see anything. Denise has high hopes that this will reach Roles' ears but she also fears he might already have Perez in motion. She is emailing me an encrypted file, which includes photos.

"I can't lose her again, Karen. I won't."

"Hopefully we won't have to. O'Hara's plan is solid; we know Shawn won't do anything to jeopardize her safety. Once I get photos of the perps in Roles' organization, I can get officers on the lookout for them.

"Thanks, Karen." Henry stood and headed for the door.

"Henry. You and Shawn be careful. O'Hara's plan is good but it might not be enough to keep them from moving on you and Shawn."

Henry nodded and stepped out in the hallway. He leaned against the hall. He had always figured that if his son's life was in danger, it would be because of either something from his own past or something Shawn did. He never dreamed it would come from the direction of his daughter.

He left the station and headed for the Psych office.

Psych Office

Gus looked up when Shawn came in. He glanced around his best friend, looking for Caitlin. He figured if they were protecting her, she shouldn't leave Shawn's side. His eyebrow raised when Shawn quietly glanced around the office.

"Shawn? Shawn!"

"Let's go for a walk," Shawn finally said. "We need to pick up some snacks."

"I hear that," Gus said agreeably, getting to his feet and following him outside.

They were several yards from the office when Gus finally managed to ask, "So where's…"

Shawn pulled him close and whispered the plan to him. "Oh!" Gus replied, nodding. "Let's get an ice cream cone though. I'm not in the mood for yogurt."

A Plane from New York to Santa Barbara

Ray Perez was quiet in his seat in the rear of the plane cabin, studying the photos he had been given. Just before boarding the plane several hours prior, he had heard the Johnson woman hadn't seen anything due to the darkness. She still felt like a loose end though and Perez hated nothing more than loose ends.

He needed to verify if she would recognize him or not, so he wanted to get a visual on her once he was in Santa Barbara so he could see if she reacted to his presence. Ray stared at her photo. She was a pretty thing though. He would have great fun making her pay.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. How disappointing.

Before leaving the station for O'Hara's, Carlton received the picture of Ray Perez. He headed to the warehouse district to look for his informant, to whom he handed a copy of the picture. For a case like this, Carlton knew he needed as many eyes watching as possible. Lassiter made another quick stop for coffee before going to the apartment building.

He had been stunned to learn that Spencer had a sister. Carlton found himself wondering if she was anything like the psychic. Somehow he doubted it if she was working forensics in New York. He parked across the street from O'Hara's and leaned back, knowing the two women were still out shopping and changing Johnson's looks. Of course, he wouldn't know the difference, having not met her prior.

After forcing Shawn to promise to not make a move if he spotted Perez, other than to call the station, Gus headed out for his route. He knew it was killing his friend to sit and do nothing, but it was too dangerous and they didn't have enough information. As far as they knew, Perez wasn't even in Santa Barbara.

Shawn headed out on his motorcycle to pick up food to take to Juliet's. As he drove, he ticked mentally through the menu to pick out things Caitlin would like. He still couldn't believe he had his sister back. They needed to get her out of danger, period.

He parked and was walking up the path to the restaurant when an arm wrapped around his throat, jerking him off of his feet. Shawn twisted wildly in his attempts to break the man's hold as he was dragged across the street to an alley. Shawn berated himself for not waiting until six when the street would have been packed with people. Perez slammed Shawn against a brick wall, the rough texture scraping Shawn's cheek. "Where is she?" the voice demanded.

A smirk curled Shawn's upper lip, hoping he could talk himself out of danger. "Who? I mean really, is it necessary to rough me up when you haven't even asked a question?"

"Shut up unless you're answering the question. Where is your sister?" he demanded, spinning Shawn around to face him. A dark hoodie shrouded his face from Shawn's view.

"I don't have…" Shawn's words were cut off when a hand wrapped around his throat.

"Stop. Your. Lying. Unless you don't want to live." Perez had no plans on letting him live, but he did need Shawn alive for a while. "Caitlin Johnson. Your younger sister."

"Ohhhh. Caitlin," Shawn gasped, relaxing slightly as Perez's hold did. "I don't know why you think I would give up my sister to you."

"If you don't, I will hunt down and kill everyone you care about. I'll start with your best friend, one Burton Guster, then move on to your father Henry Spencer…need I go on?"

Shawn's eyes snapped with angry fire. "She didn't see your face, you could have just let all of this go. Heck, I'm practically on top of you and I can't make you through the hoodie. Go back to whatever rock you crawled out from under, leave her alone, and I'll never tell you were even here in town."

A rock hard fist impacted with his abdomen, making Shawn double over with pain. Shawn noticed the tattoo of the skull headed dragon on the forearm and the small scar on the right thumb. "Fine. You win. I told her the first place you would look would be with family. Caitlin boarded a bus for Mexico, traveling under the name Penelope Plumgarden. She left at 6 A.M., so she's probably already there," Shawn finally said.

"You remember the deaths of your loved ones are on your head," Perez hissed as he hit Shawn in the back of the head with his fist. Ray carried the limp form to his car and threw Shawn in the trunk, driving off to an empty warehouse.

Two hours later

Juliet glanced again at her clock, then at Caitlin with apprehension. "This isn't like Shawn. He's never this late for dinner. He likes to eat too much."

A shiver stole through Caitlin. In her mind, there was only one possible explanation. Two, really, but she couldn't bear to think she had cost her brother his life.

Juliet's cell phone rang. "Gus?" she greeted.

"Sorry Jules, he's not here at the office. His bike's gone too. Do you have any idea where he was going to pick up food?"

"We had settled on fried chicken, so probably Cluck's." The call ended and Juliet resumed pacing. "Gus will find him. He'll get your father on it too."

"I shouldn't have come here," Caitlin said quietly. "It was selfish of me and now I've put everyone in danger."

"You didn't do this, Cait," Juliet assured her. She checked her weapon. "You wanted to feel safe, that's not selfish and not so much to ask. Shawn's been in dangerous spots before, give him more credit and have faith in him. Let me see your cell phone."

Caitlin handed her the phone and watched as Juliet set up an app. "I've installed and activated a GPS app on your phone. I'm going to have the Chief have it monitored at the station, just in case." As she called Vick, Juliet glanced out the window. No one was out there. Not even Carlton. "Chief, where's…"

"Lassiter received a call from an informant with possible information on Perez's whereabouts. He tried to call you but your line was busy, you were probably talking to Mr. Guster. I want you and Caitlin to stay away from any windows. I'm sending some patrolmen out to the area where Cluck's is located to see if they can find anything on Shawn."

"Great, just great," Juliet muttered, closing her phone. "Carlton is checking out information on where Perez is, so we need to stay away from the windows, Cait."

Warehouse District

Shawn regained conciousness slowly, opening his eyes a little bit at a time. He winced at bright light bulb that was hanging directly over him, bathing him in light. He was bound hand and foot to a chair. "Hello! Helll-ooooo!" he called, ignoring the pounding in his head. Then the memories flooded back. Perez's threats against everyone he loved. Shawn wiggled his fingers, trying to reach for his phone before he spotted it in the middle of the floor, broken into a whole bunch of pieces. "Crap," he uttered.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.

Author note: So what you do guys think? Would you like to see Caitlin in future stories? And if so, what would you like to see: her team up with the guys or join the department? And would you like to see her and, oh, I don't know, Lassiter, hook up?

Also, do you want more Shawn whump? If so, I'm taking suggestions on what you'd like seen done to him before Lassie and Jules get there to save the siblings.

Caitlin paced in the center bedroom, where there was no window. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones. Surely she would know if Shawn was…God…she couldn't bare to think about it.

She jumped when she heard a door slam. Her heart pounded. Juliet would not have opened the door. Unless maybe it was Gus or Dad? Caitlin eased the door open a crack.

"I don't know who you are talking about. The only person that has been staying with me is my cousin Kate."

"Cait is short for Caitlin."

"K. A. T. E." Juliet spelled out.

"Wrong answer," he hissed as he spun Juliet around and forced her to her knees.

Caitlin's stomach lurched into her throat. She couldn't let this happen. She wasn't going to allow anyone to die to protect her. She came out of the bedroom, her hands in the air. "Leave her alone and I will go with you. The bloodshed needs to stop now."

"Cait, no…" Juliet said softly. "Run."

His gun still trained on Juliet, Ray pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and tossed them at Caitlin. "Cuff yourself. Hands behind your back." As he spoke, Ray lifted Juliet to her feet and shoved her into the closet, then rammed a chair under the handle. "All right, Miss Johnson. We have a date with your fate." He grabbed the back of her shirt and forced Caitlin to the door, his gun against the center of her back. "You had best be on your best behavior or you won't like what I do to your brother. At all."

"Let him go, please. You have what you came for."

Ray ignored her as they stepped out into the chilly night air. He shoved Caitlin into the back seat and pulled the seat belt strap across her abdomen, pinning her helplessly against the seat before driving off to the warehouse where he had left Shawn.

Ten minutes later, Carlton pulled up to the apartment building, ready to kill his informant. Oh, logically he knew he had just relayed the information given to him by someone on the street and not his fault. But Carlton Lassiter hated to waste his time on wild goose chases. He parked in front of O'Hara's. Too quiet. Then he saw Gus walking toward the apartment.

Lassiter got out of the car and strode up to Gus. "Spencer know you're going to crash his date?"

"No. He's missing. He never showed up with supper and Mr. Spencer and I haven't found a thing.

"Stay behind me." The two men burst into the building and ran up the stairs to Juliet's. The first thing they noticed was the front door standing open. Lassiter pulled his gun and stepped in first, doing a sweep of the living room. "It's clear, Guster."

"Carlton!" he spun at the sound of his partner frantically yelling his name.

"The closet," Gus said before pulling the chair out from under the knob. Lassiter yanked the door open, revealing a disheveled Juliet.

"What happened, O'Hara?"

"Perez broke the door down. He didn't buy the visiting cousin cover at all. When Caitlin realized he was going to kill me the same way he killed Tom, she surrendered herself to him. What did you find out from your informant, Carlton?"

"He was given a dead end."

Caitlin growled and Gus murmured a curse word that no one had ever expected to hear from him.

"I installed and activated GPS on her cell phone. So unless he found it, we can track Caitlin."

Warehouse District

Shawn turned his head when he heard a loading dock door open and the sound of a car pulling in. He prayed Perez wasn't going to bring loved ones in to kill in front of him. Shawn was pretty certain he would never survive that.

"Ah, Mr. Spencer, you're awake. The guest of honor has arrived," Ray announced, pushing Caitlin in front of him.

"Damn it, Cait, you were supposed to be tucked away safely."

"Well he found me, Shawn, and I was going to let him kill Juliet." Caitlin ran over close to Shawn and turned slightly so she could touch his shoulder. They were going to have to be one another's strength now.

"Well isn't this touching," Perez sneered. "Get away from him. Now."

Caitlin lifted her chin ever so slightly. "Oh come on. Neither one of us have seen your face," Shawn said with false bravado. "We can't identify you. Just leave town, forget you ever saw us."

Perez aimed his gun at Shawn. "Just to let you know, this is going to be very long and very painful. The less you cooperate, the worse it will be. Me, I'd almost prefer so do feel free to entertain me."

Shawn noticed Caitlin starting to move, ever so slightly. "No, Cait."

The sound of the gun firing off was nearly deafening as it echoed off of the cavernous walls. "Shawn!" Caitlin cried out, seeing blood streaming from a gun shot to his leg.

Perez put a chair directly behind Shawn and forced Caitlin on it. He quickly redid her cuffs so the chain looped around the rope around Shawn's wrists, and then tied her legs to the chair. "This will be very good. You should be able to feel one another's pain. And fear."

He leaned over Caitlin, running the barrel of his gun over her body. "You're very pretty and I intend to have fun with you."

Shawn jerked against the ropes violently, wanting nothing more than to kill the man who was threatening his sister. Caitlin stiffened as he reached for the buttons of her blouse. If he undressed her, he was certain to find the cell phone. And without that, they had no hope whatsoever. She reached for Shawn's fingers, curling her own around them.

"Miss Johnson, tell me what you know about your late fiancé's investigation into Johnny Roles."

Cait blinked. "Absolutely nothing. Tom didn't share any of his case information with me."

Perez landed a fresh punch in Shawn's abdomen and she had to admit he was right, she could feel her brother's pain. "Wrong answer."

"Well it's the true answer," she replied. "I know nothing about your or Johnny Roles except for what I've read in the paper. I can't tell you what I don't know." What she could have told him was that she felt sick to her stomach over what Shawn was going through.

"What a shame I don't believe you. And a bigger shame that your brother is going to pay for what I believe to be your deceit." Shawn cried out sharply when Perez kicked his leg where the bullet had entered.

"Stop it! I would tell you if I knew anything."

"Hmm…maybe your brother isn't high in your priorities." His next shot went in Caitlin's shoulder, her own cry matching her brother's. Was the GPS not working? Why weren't the cops there yet?


	7. Chapter 7

"Lassiter!" Henry bellowed as he stormed across the parking lot at Juliet's apartment. "Where the hell are my kids? You were supposed to at least be running surveillance on Caitlin and Juliet!"

"Spencer," Lassiter said slowly and calmly, "My informant called me with a lead on where the hit man was. Unfortunately he was given false information. When I left this location, I was certain I would have had the man in custody."

Henry paced angrily, rubbing his face with his palm, weariness warring his anger. "You should have called someone to replace you."

"You're right, Spencer. I've been blaming myself since Guster and I found O'Hara trapped in the closet. We're trying to trace the GPS in Shawn and Caitlin's cell phones. I want you and Guster at the police station to wait. And don't argue, Spencer. I don't want to worry about the two of you getting in to trouble while I'm trying to find Shawn and Caitlin. You will go with McNabb or I'll arrest your ass."

After a stormy silence, Henry glared at Lassiter. "You'd better find them.

Shawn thought his heart had stopped when Caitlin screamed. He squeezed her fingers gently as she leaned back against him as much as she could. His thoughts jerked back to the hit man as the man bound his injury.

Perez laughed harshly. "Don't think I'm really taking care of you. I just don't want you bleeding to death before I'm done playing with you. You're a psychic right? You can end this quicker and less painfully if you make your sister cooperate with me."

"Like I'm in a hurry for a bullet in the brain," Shawn scoffed. "How do you think you're going back to New York after this? People are looking for us and if you kill us, they'll know you killed Potter. You'll be arrested the minute you set foot back in New York. And your name is going to be all over the country on wanted posters."

"You've got a smart mouth," Perez hissed, wrapping his hand around Shawn's throat and squeezing.

"He's probably already got a fake I.D. and passport, Shawn," Caitlin replied. "He'll disappear, that's what mob people do. Problem is, he's Roles' enforcer, and knows too much. He'll not only have a police target on his back, he'll never be safe from having a contract out on him. He won't be safe in jail either. There's really no where for him to go."

"Shut up!" Perez shouted, easing his hold on Shawn's throat. "Or my very next bullet will go in his brain in about two minutes." Caitlin stopped talking but she knew she had hit a nerve. She wondered if he'd even thought about it. Shawn coughed and gasped for air. Perez paced around the room, muttering under his breath. Then he marched over to a duffel bag setting on the floor and he pulled something out of it.

Shawn narrowed his eyes, trying to clear his mind so he could see what Perez held. _Oh crap, it's a bomb._ He said nothing, not wanting to panic Caitlin.

Carlton was on his cell phone with Chief Vick. "Got it Chief." He glanced at O'Hara. "Caitlin's GPS is at an abandoned warehouse. Vick wanted to make certain it was in a stationary location. Perez could have found it and dropped it."

"Let's go, Carlton," Juliet said, getting in the passenger seat. He punched the address into the car's GPS and checked the driving time. Carlton hoped they could get there in time. They started off, leading a string of police units and an ambulance through the streets.

Perez glanced at Caitlin. Even bleeding, he wanted to play with her, make her suffer, before killing her. Caitlin shuddered, reading the intent in his eyes. She wondered if she offered herself to him, if he would let Shawn go. Her gaze dropped. No it would never work. She was fairly certain Shawn wouldn't cooperate.

He walked away suddenly, his attention captured by something in the warehouse. The sound of something being lowered caught her attention, Caitlin's head turning toward the sound. A pulley hook? A million possibilities ran through her mind, a number of which were horrible memories of crime scenes.

Shawn's hands were pulled from hers as Perez dragged him to the pulley hook, where he cuffed Shawn's hands, draping the chain over the hook. Then he raised Shawn several feet off of the floor, his weight suddenly supported by his wrists. Shawn was pretty certain both shoulders dislocated and he grimaced with pain but he managed not to cry out. Caitlin was already too pale.

After untying her ankles, Perez dragged Caitlin from the chair and threw her to the concrete floor, leering at her. When Shawn began shouting at him, Perez leveled the gun and prepared to fire. Caitlin kicked up at him, knocking him out of line with Shawn, the shot going wild. The enforcer turned on her, grabbing her by the shirt collar, placing the barrel of the gun at her temple.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. At all. Read, review, and let me know if you want Caitlin to stick around in Santa Barbara. And if you want her to work with the guys or the police.

Fueled by anger and the desperate desire to save his sister, Shawn tried to grab the chain the hook suspended from so he could pull himself up, only to nearly pass out from the pain. A cry of frustration escaped him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Perez demanded, turning his attention to Shawn. Caitlin shook uncontrollably as she wondered if there was any way out of this for her and Shawn.

The door burst open and Lassiter and O'Hara came storming through, their guns drawn. "Drop the gun, Perez," Carlton said in his intimidating voice.

Perez stood, pulling Caitlin up with him, pinning her against his chest with the gun at her temple once more.

A memory flitted through Caitlin's mind. She was playing cops and robbers with Shawn and Gus, and Gus had decided to use her as hostage. Shawn had shouted at her to go limp. She wondered if it would work in this situation. She really had nothing to lose if it didn't.

She knew nothing about the head detective with O'Hara, other than he had worked with Shawn frequently. Caitlin saw the steely determination in his eyes and she had to give him a clear shot.

Closing her eyes, Caitlin commanded her body to go completely limp, as if she were boneless. "What the hell?" Perez shouted as she slumped and started sliding toward the floor. Carlton fired off a shot, striking Perez in the chest as soon as Caitlin was out of the line of fire.

Lassiter ran over and kicked the gun clear of Perez' hand while Juliet gathered up Caitlin who was trying really hard to not fall apart.

"Where's the switch for the pulley?" Lassiter asked Shawn, who indicated with a nod. He nearly screamed when Carlton pulled his arms down. "Easy there, Spencer," he said, gently sitting Shawn on the floor. "Get that ambulance in here!" he ordered.

"Caitlin!" Shawn cried out, trying to get closer to his sister.

"She's fine. O'Hara has her," Carlton assured him.

Holding her shoulder to try to not only ease the pain but also staunch the flow of pain, Caitlin came over to him. "Oh, Shawn. I never meant to bring danger to you."

"Hey, danger is my middle name," Shawn joked, wincing when he laughed. "I just have to know…did you just use my going limp move?"

"I did. I remembered you telling me about it one day when we were all playing. I wasn't certain it would work as well on Perez as it did Gus, but I had to give this nice detective here a clear shot.

"Nice? I'm going to have to give you lessons about Lassie."

"Spencer…" Carlton said warningly as the paramedics wheeled up with two gurneys. As the siblings were loaded on the ambulance, Carlton called Henry and Gus to let them know to go the hospital.

The two worried men nearly wore the carpet out in the waiting room with their pacing while awaiting word on the surgeries. Thankfully they hade been able to speak with Caitlin and Shawn beforehand or it would have been much worse.

"Mr. Spencer? Mr. Guster?" They turned to find two doctors standing there. "Caitlin and Shawn are going to be fine. As soon as they wake up in recovery, they'll be taken to their room which is number 506, if you'd like to wait there for them."

"Thank you very much." The two men headed for the room.

Some time later, Shawn was the first one to wake. "Dad."

"Hey son. How are you feeling?"

"Anyone get the number of the truck that ran me over?"

Henry gave him a gentle smile. "Shawn. I think I may have been doing you a great disservice all of these years."

Shawn arched an eyebrow. "In what way?"

"Carlton told me how he was finally able to take Perez out, and he said it was because Caitlin did something you taught her years ago."

Shawn managed a sleepy smile. "Yeah. I taught her how to go limp when she was captured. Of course, Gus was only 10 and, well, he's Gus…"

"I heard that Shawn."

"Sorry, buddy. But it turns out it works equally well in escaping a hit man. Thanks for helping to train her, Gus."

"Thank you for teaching her that, Shawn. I…erm…" Henry always had a difficult time expressing emotions.

"That's all right, Dad. I know what you're trying to say. I do hate to tell you this though, I think she has my propensity for talking."

"What?" Henry demanded.

"She kind of ticked Perez off when she announced how he was going to try to disappear and how it wouldn't work." Shawn smiled again. "I was proud of her."

"Geez," Henry said. "I was thinking…once she's fully recovered, I might give her the training lessons I gave you."

"I think she'd like that, Dad. And…well…I haven't thanked you enough for what you taught me." Shawn glanced at his father. "I know I resented it at the time."

Henry smiled then glanced over his shoulder when he heard Caitlin talking in a low voice to Gus. "Be right back, son." Shawn nodded and glanced over to his sister's bed. Now it felt like everything was right with the world. Now could he convince her to come work with him and Gus? He wondered how she was with computer work.

"Hey Doodlebug. How are you feeling?" Henry asked sitting down next to the bed while Gus went over to speak with Shawn.

"Hey, Gus," Shawn said, giving him a fist bump. "I wanted to ask you if you would mind if I asked Cait to join the team?"

"Works for me. I bet she knows computers. We could use a computer person. And a receptionist…maybe you'll stop losing the cordless phone."

"Gus, don't be a maniacal ring tailed lemur," Shawn scoffed.

"Anyway," Gus dragged out. "A third person will be good to help you out when I'm on my route too."

"I still wish you'd give up that part time pharmaceutical sales job," Shawn went on, ignoring Gus' stare. "We're getting busier all of the time."

"You're right about one thing. My full-time job is now my part-time. I'm not complaining though."

"Caitlin Spencer, it's not safe for you to do that," Henry said loudly. "I told you I'd take care of it."

Shawn and Gus shared a glance. "Oh oh. I thought that voice was reserved for me," Shawn said.

"Shawn, Gus, I'll be back in a few days. I'm going to New York to pack up Caitlin's things. I'm also talking to Vicks' niece on the force and we're going to make it appear that Perez got Caitlin out here. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm depending on the two of you to keep her out of trouble."

"We've got it covered, Dad." Shawn looked worried. "Be careful, Dad."

"I will, son."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still own nothing. Two weeks later

Shawn and Caitlin were relaxing on their father's boat as Henry drove around, looking for a prime fishing spot. Caitlin was in the cooler, fishing out a soda for Shawn while she sought a bottled water.

"So, Doodlebug. Have you given any thought to what you're going to do now?" Henry inquired, not wanting to sound pushy. He and Shawn both wanted her to stay in Santa Barbara, but neither wanted to force her.

"I don't know, Dad," she answered honestly. "Thanks to your trip to New York, I have enough money to live on for a few months. I think I'll stay here for a few months, get to know you and Shawn better. And then decide what I want to do then, career wise."

Henry smiled and then sat down next to her. "I know it's a little late, but I'd be happy to give you the survival lessons I gave Shawn as he was growing up."

"I'd like that." Caitlin glanced at Shawn who had a small smile on his face.

As much as he had hated those lessons growing up, he had to admit they had gotten him out of a lot of tough spots as he grew older. "Gus and I wouldn't mind if you'd like to help out once in a while either."

"I think that would be fun."

Henry groaned. If there was one thing he had learned while spending time with his two children after getting back to New York, it was that although they hadn't really known each other growing up, Shawn and Caitlin were very much alike. Even Maddie had noticed it while staying with them during Henry's trip to New York. And of course, according to Lassiter, they were both the same as him. Henry still doubted the validity of that accusation.

If Caitlin were honest, the only thing she had to think on during this down time was what she wanted career wise. There was no way she could leave her family again, even after only a few weeks, she loved them way too much. And maybe, just maybe, she could help repair the problems between her father and brother. And maybe, just maybe, Shawn could help her understand how she always managed to see things others missed. That was what had made her one of the top forensic officers in her precinct.

While Henry fished, she and Shawn broke out a deck of cards and settled in for a game of War.

~end~


End file.
